rear drum stuck in 87 crx

[dutchct]

hi guys,

this weekend i tried to take my rear drums apart to apply some anti squeal.

i tried to pull the drum outer cover off, but was unable to. it moves freely and shimmies around. but i dont think its getting past the brake shoes.

this is where it goes very wrong. i noticed some threading in the drum. i threaded some bolts into it and tried to force it off. it didnt go as planned and i probably bent a lot of stuff in there.

not deterred i looked around the net on this issue, i found something that said you need to back the adjuster off. i tried to, but its nearly impossible to get in there to turn it. even if get to it, it wont turn.

anyways, its making a terrible noise now.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Eric

[lxndr]

First off, you don't put anti-squeal on drum brakes. If they are squealing, that means they're worn down to the rivets in the pad, this is probably why you can't get the drun off. The pad has worn so far into the drum that the drum is hooked around the pad. You'll need to find a way to back off the self adjusting star wheel or re-tap the threaded holes in the drum. When you put the bolts in to remove the drum, they press against the hub which is very strong so don't worry about bending anything up. If all else fails, another option is to hit the drum with a rubber mallet or dead blow mallet to knock the drum loose from the pads.

If it's this hard to get the drums off, then you have a bigger problem than just squeaking. It sounds like it's time to rebuild the brakes.

My rear brakes were like this before I swapped them for discs. I ended up using a pry bar to get them off, but I wouldn't recommend that you do the same. I destroyed the drums and backing plates, but it was no big deal because I was replacing them anyway. The brakes hadn't been serviced in about 5 years (before I owned the car) and there was HUGE lip around the inside of the drum that was keeping the drum hooked on the pads.

[dutchct]

thanks for the reply, im pretty sure ive bent the mechanics of the drum assy. i put the wheel back on just to get to work and back and im certain something is broken.

this weekend ill give it another go to take it appart and see what needs replacing.

i was also thinking of doing the disc swap, but im unsure of what i need? could you shed any light on this?

[lxndr]

I don't know anything about swapping disc brakes...

But this link might help:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=197243

[SmaugCrx]

i was just learning/doing the rear drums on my 87 crx, if the drums are stuck u can try taking off the hub and drum together by removing the center cap and then removing the hub nut and washer, you'll probably need a new hub nut.